Vehicle-top.



W. P. .DORL.

VEHICLE TOP. APPLICATION FILED PEB.20,19111.

PatentedvDec. 15, 1914 wi/bfleooeo am 0% AW.

6mm, 5 I

NITED] sTATEs PATENT QFFICE;

WALTER IP- IDORL. OF JIlIElElTItOI'l, MICHIGAN, ASSIG-NOR '10 DORL WILEYONELA'IDY AUTO TOP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

vnn cLn-ror.

To all'whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, WALT R 'P. Donn, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and StateofMichigan, have invented certain vnew and useful Improvements inVehicle-Tops, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.v I

Thisinvention relates to vehicle tops and is an improvement inconnection with the "vehicle top disclosed by my pending application,filed .Oct. 8th, 1913, Serial No. 794,028. a The object of thepresentiinvention is to j rovide a durable and rigid vehicle top that issupported in a set-upposition without any strain upon the cover of thetop, and

' ing, wherein-Figure 1 is a' longitudinal se'ctional view of thevehicle top taken through one of the pads or reinforcements thereof;Fig; 2 is a side elevation of the top ina foldedpositin, and Fig. 3 isan enlarged] detailed sectional view of a latch adapted toform part ofthe vehicle top. Y

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 denotes a portion of anautomobile body and secured to the sides of the body, at the rear endthereof, in the ordinary and well known manner, are brackets or rearirons 2 to which are pivotally connected thelower ends of a rear bow 3.The front sides of the bow.

3 are providedwith bearings 4 and pivotally connected to said bearingsare the ends of an auxiliary rear how 5. The main rear how 3 isinproximity to rest arms 6 carried by'the sides of the body 1 and whenthe main rear bow is in. an extended or set-up edition, the sides ofsaid bow are connected y straps 7 or other fastening means to the a restarms 6.

.' Instead of locating forward side irons ad .jacentto the front seat 8of the automobile body, the irons are located at the rearseat of theautomobile and at the forward ends of the arms of said seat. Theironsare dos- Specification of Letters l atent. I

n entinn Patented nee-15, 1914,

Application filed February 20, 1914.: serial No. 819,862.

ignated i 9. I and pivotally connected thereto are the lower ends-of afront supporting bow 10. The rear sides of the front supporting 1 boware provided ,with bearings 11 andpivotally connecte to said bearingsare the ends of a rear racing bow 12.- The front sides of the frontsupporting bow 10 are I provided with bearings 13 contiguous to thebearings 11 and pivotally connected to the bearings 13 are links 14having hinge connections 15 with the ends of a front bracing bow 16. Thehinge connections 15 are constructed somewhat similar to" a rule jointand wlth'the front bracing bow in a set-up position the ends thereofabut the ends of the links 14. The confronting ends of the links 14 -andthe front bracing bow 16 have enlargements" 17 and 18 respectively, theenlargement 17 having asocket 19 and the enlargement 18 alongitudinal'bore 20. The

adapted to engage in the socket 19 to hold the sides of the frontbracingbow 16 and the links 14inlongitud-inal alinement. The bolt 22is'slidable in a bushing or retaining ring 23 mounted-in the outer endof the bore v 20 and encircling said bolt, between the bushing 23 andthe slide head 21, is a coiled compression spring 24, said springretaining the bolt'22 in an extended position The outer end of the bolt22 has'a suitab e handle or extension that permits of the bolt '22 beingeasilv retracted when it is desired to f ld or collapse the vehicle top.l

Pivotallv connect d to the outer s des of the rear bracing how 12 arecompound curved links 26 that are nivotallv c nnected intermediatetheinends b pins 27 to the outer side of the front bracing bow'16.adiacent t 'the-hino'e connecti n there f. The

f rward ends of the compound curved links 26 ha e hinge c nnecti ns withalhnviz nfal bow 28.. the ends of said how abutting the endsof the li ks93 to form a rigid conwhen the vehicle topis in a set-up position. i

- The extends from a back stay 3 to the forward end of the horizontalhow 28. The cover'29 bows 3,5,10,12,16 and 2s cooperate 111 su po ting aco er or canonv 29. which has apair of long tudinal pads or cases '31and arrangedin said pads or cases are chainsplaced in a set-up 32 orother flexible metallic tying members that extend from the back stay 30to the forward end of the horizontal how 28, said members relieving thecover of stressesand strains when the vehicle top is in a set-upposition.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be observed that occupants of the rearseat of the ve hicle will have an unobstructed side view, and that withthe bows disposed at the an gles shown it is practically impossible forthe top to accidentally collapse. Further more, the top reaches wellover the front seat of the vehicle and it is in this connection that thetop can be used with a vehicle having one or more seats.

l/Vhen the vehicle top is folded or collapsed and supported by the restarms 6'1t occupies a very small space at the rear end of a body and thearrangement of the bows is such thatthe top can be easily and quicklyposition.

This improvement is susceptible to such variations and modifications asfall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In a vehicle top, the combination with a vehicle bodyhaving the rear end thereof provided with lets of side irons, of a rearmain bow 'pivotally supported by one set of irons, a front supportingbow pivot-ally connected to the other set of irons, a'rear bracing bow'pivotally connected to said front supporting bow, links pivotallyconnected to said front supporting how, a front bracing bow having hingeconnections with said links, curved links pi'v'otally connected to saidrear bracing bow and to said front bracing bow, a horizontal bow havinghinge connections with said curved links, and a cover supported by allof said bows.

2. In a",vehicle top, the combination with a vehicle body, of a rear bowpivotally supported at'the rear end of said body, an auxiliary bowpiv'otally carried thereby, a front supporting; bow pivotally supportedat the rear end of said. body, links pivotally connected to said frontsupporting a front bracing bow having hinge connections with said links,means for maintaining said front bracing bow rigid relatively to saidlinks, a rear bracing bow pivotally supported by said front supportingbow, a horizontal bow", means connecting said horizontal bow to saidrear and front bracing bows,

and a cover supported 'by said bows.

3. In a vehicle top, the combination with a vehicle body, of a rear bowpivotally supported at the rear end of said body, an auxiliary bowpivotally carried thereby, a front supporting bow pivotally "supported'at the rear end' of-said body, links pivotally connected to said frontsupporting how, a front bracing bow having hinge connections with saidlinks, means for mainta nlng how, I

saidfront bracing bow rigid relative! y to said links, a rear bracingbow pivotally supported by said front supporting how, a

horizontal bow, means connecting said horizontal bow to said front andrear bracing bows, a cover supported by saidbows, and

means carried by said cover and connected the rear end of said body, ofa main rear bow pivotally supported by some of said irons, an auxiliaryrearbowpivotally connected to said main rear bow, a front supporting bowpivotally supported by the other of said irons, a rear bracing bowpivotally supported by said front bow, links pivotallyconnected to saidfront how, a front bracing bow carried by said links and adapted to berigidly held relatively thereto, curved links pivotally connected tosaid rear bracing bow and to said front bracing how, a horizontal bowhaving hinge connections with said links, a cover supported by all ofsaid bows, and means extending longitudinally of said cover andconnected to the rear end of'said vehicle body, for bracing all of saidbows and relieving said cover of strains by said bows.

5. In a vehicle top, the combination with a vehicle body having the rearend thereof provided with" a set of side irons, of a front supportingbow pivotally connected to said set of irons, a rear bracing bowpivotally connected to said front supporting bow, links pivotallyconnected to said front supporting bow, a front bracing bow havinghinged connections with s'aid links, curved to the rear end of said bodyand extending links pivotally connected to said rear bracbow and to saidfront bracing how, a

horizontal bow having hinged connections with curved links, and a coversupported by all of said'bows'. y

6.v In a vehicle top, the combination with a vehicle body and sets ofside irons carried by the rear end of said body, of a main rear bowpivotally connected to one set .of

irons. an auxiliary bow pivotally' connected to said rear bow, a frontsupporting lbow pivotallv connected to the other set of irons,

rear and'front bracing bows pivotally"con-" nected to said frontbow, ahorizontal bow,

means connecting said horizontal bow to sa1d front and rear bracingbows, a cover supported by all of said bows, and-means extendinglongitudinally of said cover and connected to the rear end of saidvehicle body for bracing all of said bows and. re-

an auxiliary bow pivotally connected to. said cases connected to therear end of said. 10 said rear bowfa front supporting bowpivbody and tosaid horizontal bow.'

otall'y connected to the other set of irons, In testiinony whereof Iafiix my signarear and front bracing bows pivotally con ture in presenceof two witnesses.

nected to said front how a horizontal bow means connecting saidhoriZontal' bow td v WALTER DORL' said front and rear bracing bows, acover \Vitnesses:

supported by all of said bows, cases longi- -ANNA M. Donn,

tudinally of said cover, and chains within LEWIS E. FLANDERS- -0op1es otthis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.?

